horse just bolted 5 miles down the road

[Exploding Chestnuts]

I would get straight onto, BHS legal helpline, appoint a solicitor and advise vendors by letter that the horse is not suitable for purpose, and that they will be charged for all costs.
The animal is not fit for purpose, so try Trading Standards as well.
I don't believe that breeders/vendors did not know he was dangerous.
He may get better treatment from you than he has had, but he is not safe, and he may never be safe.
In the end you will put a load of cash in to this horse [and time] and it may still end up with a bullet, which will fill you full of guilt as well as all your other problems.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

You should always be wary when buying from a dealer / breeder and ask yourself.



1. How can he not know how to tie up
2. knowing there were gaps in the education
3. running through fencing

Sorry but for me that smells fishy.



A lot of dealers lie about why horses come to them etc. Look at that horse last year that was found to have been sold on as a quiet hack when actually the records showed it should have been pts for being a fruit loop.

Not saying this horse is, but I would always now say can i try her for a week to see if we are compatible. If there are freezemarks I would get those checked also microchip find out any history. Horses will panic but this instance I feel its too extreme to be a one off. Something just does not sit right switching horses should not IMO have that catastrophic and reaction. Thank god no innocent driver etc was involved, I mean this horse obviously has some issues.

 

[digitalangel]

Have spoken to BHS they have advised speaking to my home insurance to see if i would be covered for legal expenses .

 

[digitalangel]

thanks for the advice. i did ask for a trial and was told no because of ' diseases ' that might be brought back to his farm because they dont vaccinate any of their horses. hes not chipped or freezemarked.

my worry with this is he could seriously hurt someone. arguably, though any horse could hurt anyone but this behaviour is extreme even for a young/green horse. i will give him the benefit of the doubt in any case.

 

[AmyMay]

I'm assuming that your gping to get the vet to give him the once over tomorrow - so I'd get a blood test too.

I'm glad you're feeling a bit better.

 

[Goldenstar]

Have spoken to BHS they have advised speaking to my home insurance to see if i would be covered for legal expenses .

I hope you are because it could quickly cost the value of the horse .
Do get his eyes checked .

 

[MadBlackLab]

thanks for the advice. i did ask for a trial and was told no because of ' diseases ' that might be brought back to his farm because they dont vaccinate any of their horses. hes not chipped or freezemarked.

This rings warning bells to me

 

[L&M]

I am very sorry to hear that you, and the horse, have had such a scare.

I have been in a similiar situation with a very neurotic 7yr old and I tried to be patient, sent him to pro's, spent a fortune on vet/saddle/back checks etc, for him to then climb over the partion in a blind panic and come out of the back doors of our 3.5t lorry - at that stage I decided that enough was enough.

I did briefly consider pts but after a good amount of soul searching came to the conclusion that he was not a 'bad' horse - just him and I combined was a big mistake. He was advertised as an experineced hunter and 'made' horse but was actually as green as a 4yr old according to the person I sent him to for schooling, and had very little experience of the world. Therefore I was expecting too much for him and putting him in situations he couldn't cope with, hence the behaviour.

After the lorry incident, I posted a very honest advert and sold him to a hugely experienced home, who were made fully aware of his issues. I lost a huge amount of money on him, but the downward spiral was going to end in disaster for either me or the horse, or possibly both!

Can I ask if this horse is insured as whatever you decide to do, you need to be covered for any eventuality.

The other thing I would question is whether you can return him - at the end of the day a breeder is not necessarily a 'dealer' and may be a case of 'buyer beware'. I contacted the previuos owners of my 7 yr old and they did not want to know either.......

I have huge sympathy for you and good luck, and keep us updated.

 

[maisie06]

I think for the sake of a grand I would just PTS. There is something they are not telling you, and the fact he lifts his legs to you and swings his backside on you speaks volumes too. When I bought my youngster he had a shaky start but his temprement was there and he has never once lifted a leg despite being very suspicious of people, he is now turning into a lovely all rounder.

Even if you find a problem such as eyes if you don't have the finances to get it sorted it's not even as if he would make a safe companion, and being shut in all the time is unfair on him. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[digitalangel]

the only way i would sell him on or give him away would be to someone who had the facilities to keep him in = ie 12 ft hedging as post and rail does not stop him once hes panicking. and someone who was seriously at the top of their game re problem horses.

According to BHS yes a breeder is a business - they are also listed in their breed directory and also some other websites as a breeder. they also appear to sell rabbits and dogs. i dont believe for a minute it is a private sale. Maybe someone from the breeders forum can come and shed some light.

 

[Cinnamontoast]

thanks for the advice. i did ask for a trial and was told no because of ' diseases ' that might be brought back to his farm because they dont vaccinate any of their horses. hes not chipped or freezemarked.

my worry with this is he could seriously hurt someone. arguably, though any horse could hurt anyone but this behaviour is extreme even for a young/green horse. i will give him the benefit of the doubt in any case.

Also speak to your credit card providers to see if they could fund any legal action. (Don't ask, just something I heard about from a solicitor in that they'll fund your insurance/compensation/small claims claim)

 

[digitalangel]

its so hard to know what to do that is for the best. One minute i can see a spark of potential. he was very quiet and sweet and let me cuddle his head tonight hes obviously exhausted though. one minute he seems like a donkey, the next hes acting like a unhandled 3 year old. he doesnt know me and its all ver new and scary and like i said, i can understand and see his fear and dont blame him. But on the other hand that was *extreme* and my gut says he will do it again. and i cant stress how lucky he was not to be hurt or killed or kill someone else today. And given the breeders suspicious behavior, comments on FB and refusal to have anything further to do with him makes me think hes had this problem already. I was looking for a project but wanted a safe project, i have dogs and children here and i cant afford any animal or person to get hurt. im in my thirties, i have a mortgage and not interested in nutters. i explained all of this to the breeder. She assured me he was safe to handle and ride. i will give him a chance and throw everything i can at it, i just dont have a good feeling about it (((( But for the moment he is here, i will keep working with him until a) he improves b)the breeder does the right thing and takes him back or c) he displays more extreme dangerous behavior which will mean PTS. I hope against hope it will not be C.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

I had a livery here a few years back. One of the 2 horses in my lifetime I would gladly say the best option was PTS. This particular one lunged at you swung his quarters on you lashed out with his back legs, and if you were not paying attention while you skipped out would reverse into you and double barrel you. He did this to the sharer once they had to have one person to pull him away and the other to rescue the sharer or she would have been even more injured or dead.
When you groomed or put a rug on he would lunge at you with teeth and legs.


Owner said to me " don't hit him it will make him worse just pinch his skin same if he lifts his legs at you" At the time I thought (*)&^%$ that I have a yard to run not train your blo0dy horse. Yes he did lunge at me, gums back teeth open. Only my bunch of fives collided with his snout, he was taken back, any time he threatens I said " OH YEA??? want to try again" He never got close enough only put his ears back and grimaced, same with his leg he lashed out only I kicked him back, after that I only had to raise my leg when he did and he swiftly put it down each time. I don't condone kicking or hitting but this horse was an exception to the rules.

owner used to say "naughty boy don't do that" so in reality the horse had no manners taught and I was not going to become a victim of his and be laid up injured and could not do yard.

 

[Goldenstar]

I had a livery here a few years back. One of the 2 horses in my lifetime I would gladly say the best option was PTS. This particular one lunged at you swung his quarters on you lashed out with his back legs, and if you were not paying attention while you skipped out would reverse into you and double barrel you. He did this to the sharer once they had to have one person to pull him away and the other to rescue the sharer or she would have been even more injured or dead.
When you groomed or put a rug on he would lunge at you with teeth and legs.


Owner said to me " don't hit him it will make him worse just pinch his skin same if he lifts his legs at you" At the time I thought (*)&^%$ that I have a yard to run not train your blo0dy horse. Yes he did lunge at me, gums back teeth open. Only my bunch of fives collided with his snout, he was taken back, any time he threatens I said " OH YEA??? want to try again" He never got close enough only put his ears back and grimaced, same with his leg he lashed out only I kicked him back, after that I only had to raise my leg when he did and he swiftly put it down each time. I don't condone kicking or hitting but this horse was an exception to the rules.

owner used to say "naughty boy don't do that" so in reality the horse had no manners taught and I was not going to become a victim of his and be laid up injured and could not do yard.

Don't think punching OP's horse is a great idea.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Don't think punching OP's horse is a great idea.

I did not say it was, I was talking of this horse a view years back as I described. Where did I tell the OP to hit her horse????? nowhere you will find.

I said if you bothered to read my posts

take bloods
ask BHS
check small claims etc

I merely described this horses case to say there are some horse out there who are fruit loops and dangerous. Until OP has had the vet out to view and check the horse you cannot categories this particular equine to be dangerous or a fruit loop or in pain or just plain untrained.

 

[Prince33Sp4rkle]

How completely unnecessary.

No.this...

Cut your loses and PTS, you have labelled him a bolter so in your mind that is how he will stay.

Is completely unnecessary! Shoot it because she can't handle it, poor horse.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Once the OP has checked all her options

and
checked her legal options

the vet has checked the horse out thoroughly

Only then can OP decided what to do with the evidence and information she got from the vet

 

[digitalangel]

I never said i couldnt handle it, please do read my posts again. thats the 3rd time youve made assumptions that arent true. Im trying my best to do the right thing here - why the attitude?

 

[ridefast]

The excuse of diseases wouldn't worry me for a stud, but it is a bit feeble as most studs have ways of isolating new horses to make sure mares don't pick up anything. It sounds like there's something wrong with this horse and PTS would not be a bad choice. I worked on a stud that sold several older horses, having got to the stage where nothing had sold as foals for several years so they realised they had to back and sell their horses ranging from 4 - 6 year olds, none of them had left the farm before but all went happily and none panicked in new homes and bolted... Yes the electric may have scared him, yes there may have been too much change for a horse with a sheltered life but I would expect him to maybe run around, not break through fencing and run for miles. And being a project isn't an excuse either, project to me would mean there was problems with handling or riding but to just be loose in a field, that's not a project issue, sounds more like a not quite right in the head issue.

 

[digitalangel]

Thank you ridefast, this is exactly my worry. As a project that had never been away from home before i expected problems - the lifting the leg and kicking the dog and being difficult to catch i put down to this but to smash through 5 fences and gallop for 5 miles away from his 'buddies' with no sense of self-preservation thats what is worrying me.

 

[Turks]

OP - I feel your pain and think you have been completely sensible about this throughout.

As far as I am concerned horses generally have their "thing" that they do when they're upset/frightened - be that rear, bolt, buck. Bolting - proper bolting - is one of the scariest in my mind. Its scarier because it tends to involve a threat to others as well. I agree that some bolting is more extreme than others and this was massively extreme and the fear is that it will be extreme bolting that he resorts to again if he's upset.

I think a bit more time might help you work out what to do for the best.

Please keep us posted.

 

[Prince33Sp4rkle]

I never said i couldnt handle it, please do read my posts again. thats the 3rd time youve made assumptions that arent true. Im trying my best to do the right thing here - why the attitude?

So you either don't want to sort it, or you can't but either way you seem to be making a bit of a big deal out of this...a very nervy naive horse, upset routine, touches elec fence be use he isn't used to it and bolts because he has no idea which way home is , gets chased down in a car and kicks out and you want to pts. It's in no way the horses fault.

Give someone a chance to sort him out fgs. There are plenty who will do it but don't expect them to pay for the pleasure!

 

[Tiddlypom]

Prince33Sp4rkle, please drop the unpleasant, superior, dismissive tone. I fail to see how this is helping the OP after a very unpleasant experience.

 

[justabob]

Dreadful experience for you, I am sure that you are more than capable of handling a tricky horse. I would give him a few days in a controlled environment and see how he behaves and go from there. Out of interest what breed is he?

 

[digitalangel]

Erm. horse was turned out with electric fencing at the breeders. im sorry if you missed that post. and yes i am making a big deal of a horse that put myself, and the general public in danger. we didnt chase him in the car we stayed back until safe to overtake and try to stop him. never said it wasnt a nervy situation for him. and for the 3rd time, noone said it was the horses fault. i did say that in my original post :/

I dont expect anyone to pay to sort him out and ive already said the money isnt the point. I will do what i can to sort him out, BUT i have a legal responsibility to keep him safe from the public and myself from injury.

I am wondering if you have ever dealt with specific situation ( horse bolting down the road ) and what you did differently.

 

[justabob]

Erm. horse was turned out with electric fencing at the breeders. im sorry if you missed that post. and yes i am making a big deal of a horse that put myself, and the general public in danger. we didnt chase him in the car we stayed back until safe to overtake and try to stop him. never said it wasnt a nervy situation for him. and for the 3rd time, noone said it was the horses fault. i did say that in my original post :/

I dont expect anyone to pay to sort him out and ive already said the money isnt the point. I will do what i can to sort him out, BUT i have a legal responsibility to keep him safe from the public and myself from injury.

I am wondering if you have ever dealt with specific situation ( horse bolting down the road ) and what you did differently.

Oh she would have put another rug on. Take no notice OP.

 

[Spot_the_Risk]

OP, you sound like you have a good handle on what's going on and that you'll do the right thing by the horse, whatever that ends up being. Stay safe, both you and the horse.

 

[digitalangel]

Yes poor horse. poor horse that he didnt have the anyone to spend the time with him and educate him correctly. poor horse that was backed and thrown in a field and only brought in to ride and never taken out. poor horse that was left until he was 7 to be sold. poor horse that has not had the right education on the ground. poor horse that has not had a lot of human contact. Poor horse that has come to me and gotten a big nasty fright.

We ask horses every day to react to new situations, first time out hacking, first time moving yards, first time meeting new field buddies, first time in new school, first time being led and handled, first time in lorry, first time being tied up, first time out hunting, first time meeting dogs, first time at X or Y venue. Yes horses can react in new situations and get frightened, and it would be unrealistic not to expect that. But the extremity of the reaction is the issue here. And if i did manage to turn him around, what would happen when it came time to sell? The same could happen. Can i keep him forever? probably not, he wasnt bought with that purpose in mind. So what is fair on him? Giving him a chance now and the next unfamiliar situation where he has a fright he ends up under a lorrys wheels?

Its VERY upsetting situation to be in. and i feel for the horse as NONE of this is his fault.

 

[Goldenstar]

Calm down you have had a fright, but you bought a seven yo cheap project horse homebreds need to treated with caution when they move home for the first time and moving a seven yo who has done and seen very little always potentially harder.
Yes we ask horses to do all these scary things and usually all goes well sometimes as in your case it goes wrong sometimes that happens but even if stuff goes wrong the vast majority of the horses will go on to be fine.
Go to bed have a good sleep and start again tomorrow.

 

[MiniMilton]

So you either don't want to sort it, or you can't but either way you seem to be making a bit of a big deal out of this...

Well yes, a horse potentially killing a bunch of people in a car, or cars. That's rather a big deal in my book.